SILVER-BEARING CHALCOPYRITE. A PRINCIPAL SOURCE OF SILVER IN THE IZOK LAKE MASSIVE-SULFIDE DEPOSIT: CONFIRMATION BY ELECTRON' AND PROTON.MICROPROBE ANALYSES

Abstract

Detailed in iita analyses by electron and proton microprobes have confirmed the presence of silver in solid solution in chalcopyrite from the Izok Lake Zn-Cu-Pb deposit, Northwest Territories, and in that from the AgPb-Zn orebodi* l-:7 at the Hilton mine in northwestern Queensland, Aushalia. Silver content in chalcopyrite ranges from 266 to 560 ppm for an lzok Lake sample and from l4l4 to 2900 ppm for a Hilton mine sample. Minimum levels of detection were established at about 200 and < l0 ppm Ag for the electron and proton microprobes, respectively. Proton-microprobe analyses also indicate that the lzok Lake chalcopyrite contains between 38 and 72 ppm indium.